This summer a highly anticipated title is the YA debut by the author of the adult title Mem. Morrow sets her story in a contemporary alternative world where portions of the population have various mythical abilities and identities. Inherent in these identities are built in assumptions and prejudices, the most heightened of which are towards “sirens,” …
I ordered this book around what would have been Bookstore Day in late April and it languished in a stack of to-be-read books until I watched the KidLit4BlackLives Rally—the author was one of the speakers. I pulled it out this morning and was charmed by Ryan and her family; I’m so glad to see that …
To this reader, two of the scariest book and life scenarios are that of cybersecurity and cyberterrorism. Richard Sandford in his novel The Soul Snatchers has achieved both scenarios. The time is the near future. The locales include the San Juan Islands in Washington State, Seattle, Portland (Oregon) and the Bay Area of California. The …
Check out 1:02- 1:11 for an interview with PNW-raised talent, Hazel Newlevant, discussing their upcoming young adult graphic memoir, No Ivy League, with KidLitTV. The book comes out August 20, 2019 but is available for preorder now. When 17-year-old Hazel takes a summer job clearing ivy from the forest in Portland, Oregon, the only plan …
From The Paris Review 3/8/19: Mitchell S. Jackson’s debut novel The Residue Years was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, and it was the winner of both the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and a Whiting Writers’ Award winner. He …
When I edited the collection City of Weird: 30 Otherworldly Portland Tales for Forest Avenue Press, I got to do something really fun: publish a writer who once published me. Kevin Sampsell (This is Between Us, and A Common Pornography) edited the anthology Portland Noir (Akashic) in 2009. It was a super cool collection—all noir …
I am still in the afterglow of this book. A novel that can capture the complexities of a mother/son relationship, the minefield of manipulative friendship, and the mess, heartache, and beauty of first love, all while exploring strength, vulnerability, and masculinity with disarming humor is a very rare beast indeed. (For ages 14+) –Tegan Tigani, Queen …
